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Here are some FAQ rev war questions that have been sent to my rev war links page, with answers

Question: One of the fourth grade teachers in my school district is looking for a timeline of the revolutionary war. Do you know where I could find such an item? Any help would be greatly appreciated

Answer: http://home.ptd.net/~revwar/index.html
AND Revolutionary War Chronology & Almanac, 1754 - 1783. Harv Hilowitz. Hope Farm Press, 1708 Rt. 212, Saugerties, NY 12477. 50 p. softbound, maps. $7.50. We've all had the experience of trying to look up the date of an event, or get a quick look at how an engagement fit into the course of a campaign, only to find that the information we seek is buried in the chapters of complete histories of the campaign or the entire war. This little book solves that problem, providing an easy-to-use chronology of the major events of the American Revolution, including a few sentences on each. This is a particularly useful volume, because it includes not only military engagements, but also major diplomatic activities. Starting with the Albany Convention of 1754, and progressing up to the convening of the 1st Continental Congress, the events leading up to the war are summarized in 39 events over 5 pages. Military activities, including naval actions, are neatly summarized in chronological order, with simple maps to improve understanding. In addition to the chronology are several pages of basic information which is often difficult to locate. Populations of the colonies and Canada are given, broken down in several ways, along with the number of newspapers and colleges. Rough figures are given to indicate the sizes of the armies and navies involved in the war in 1775, 1778, and 1783; information about the military budgets of America and Britain is also included. Overall casualties are enumerated, and a page is devoted to discussions of the various refugee populations. It is of course possible to dispute some of the information. Arguments can always be made about the importance and impact of individual events, and only so many can be included in a compact volume. Casualty figures and even population figures are subject to debate. And some of the information seems out of place; for example, the book concludes with a full page biographical sketch of General von Steuben, but has no biographical information on anyone else. These criticisms are minor, however, considering the purpose of this Revolutionary War Chronology & Almanac. The book is intended to be handy, and it is.

Question: I've been looking for a recording of Fife and Drums music, that would be from that era. Do you have any suggestion as to where I should look???

Answer: The Brigade of the American Revolution sells just such a tape. It is fairly technical, designed to help teach drum signals and popular military tunes. It includes all of the common drum signals used to instruct and command soldiers. There is also a music book which accompanies it.
Military Musick of the American Revolution (Cassette) $10.00 + $1.25 s&h Brigade Fife & Drum Book $4.00 + $1.75 s&h
Make checks payable to the Brigade of the American Revolution.
Order from: John Conway 30 Fawn Ridge Lane Wilton, CT 06897

Question: I am interested in finding info on an all-Black battalion that fought a battle with the Hessians (Germans, right?) during the American Revolution. I believe the battle is referred to as "The Battle of Rhode Island" and was fought in 1778 or 1779.

Any ideas on where I might look? I'm gonna see if there's a Rhode Island library somewhere on the Net that might have some info. In the meantime, I'd appreciate hearing of any resources you might know of.

Incidentally, a friend saw this battalion mentioned on The Learning Channel's presentation of "The Revolutionary War" last week, and asked me to see what I could find out.

Answer: You recently posted a question on a web site asking for information about the First Rhode Island regiment during the American Revolution, particularly at the Battle of Rhode Island (you wrote Fifth, but I think you meant First - there was no Fifth). Below is a copy of a message concerning this regiment, written by a historical reenactor involved in portraying it. I have an extensive amount of information about the Battle of Rhode Island, which occurred on August 29, 1778. I will give a very brief summary of events - refer to a map of the state to understand it better: In late 1776, the British Army occupied the large islands in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island (at the time, the largest of the islands was called Rhode Island). The harbor was important as an anchorage for the British navy. In 1778, with the help of the newly arrived French allies, the Americans attempted to capture the islands. At the beginning of August, the French navy blocked up the bay, forcing the British to scuttled the small naval force they had. An American army under General Sullivan landed on the island, forcing the smaller British/German force to withdraw behind fortifications built around the town of Newport. Within a few days, a large British naval force arrived to challenge the French fleet. The French fleet sailed out of the bay to do battle in the open ocean. As the two fleets maneuvered, preparing for battle, a hurricane came upon them and scattered the fleets on the 13th and 14th of August, causing severe damage to both. For the land forces, the high winds and rain also did great damage to both sides, but the British defenders faired better because they were behind prepared positions, and in a town. For the next week, elements of the scattered French fleet returned to the bay, but then all of the French ships sailed to Boston for repairs. The American army, which was much larger than the British, was composed largely of short-term militia soldiers who had joined up just for this campaign. When the French fleet sailed away, they became very discouraged, knowing that they could not take the town and hold it without strong naval support. By the end of the month, the dishearted army began to withdrawal. On August 29, the British perceived that the Americans were attempting to leave the island, and sallied out of their lines to attack, hoping to disrupt the retreat. The Americans were moving to the north end of the long, narrow island, and crossing the narrow water to the mainland. The north end of the island is dominated by a hill, on top of which was a fort built by the British but now in American hands. The Americans took position on this hill, and defended it successfully against several British attacks. During the night, they managed to slip away to the mainland. The First Rhode Island had an important role in this fight. On the right (west) side of the American line, they defended their part of the hill against fierce attacks by German troops. Today there is a monument at the site of the action. Even though the Americans totally failed to take the island, and were in full retreat when the battle occurred, it is often considered an American victory, because the Americans successfully held off a professional army. Let me know if you want some recommended reading.
Don N. Hagist dhagist@apcc.com

My name's Joe and I'm with the 1st RI Regt. of the Continental Line. I'll give a little background on the first RI. When the 1776 enlistments were about up, the RI General Assembly voted to raise two regiments numbering 1,430 men combined. The recruiting did not go well. In spite of additional bounties offered, by February 1777, only 50 men had enlisted in the two regiments. As veterans of 1776 returned home, the situation improved a bit. By March, the two regts. had a total of about 400 men. (Various excuses have been advanced to explain this poor showing. RI had an estimated 1,200 men serving on ships {mostly privateers} and another 1,800 serving in the state's brigade, keeping an eye on Newport}) Gen. Washington ordered the 1st and 2nd RI to join him despite the lack of strength. On Washington's suggestion, Christopher Greene was appointed commander of the 1st RI. Because he was still a prisoner at this time (he was captured in the Arnold expedition into Canada), Lt. Col. Adam Comstock was put in command until Greene could join his unit. Upon arrival in the American encampment, the RI regts. were brigaded with the 4th and 8th Conn., and the four were placed under the command of Gen. Varnum, who had used some political clout at home to get a promotion to brigadier. During the summer of 1777, the two RI units peaked in strength at 600 men combined. At this point, Christopher Greene managed to join his regiment. In October and November of 1777, the RI units fought in the battle at Red Bank (a story unto itself). After the battle, Greene evaded the British and got the two RI units back to Valley Forge for winter camp (a question arises. where the heck was Varnum during Red Bank?) In camp, the RI officers, concerned about the very low numbers in their ranks, come up with the idea of raising a regiment from slaves. Washington wrote Gov. Cooke of RI asking his opinion of the scheme. The governor expressed cautious optimism and said 300 men could be expected. So, the troops of the 1st RI were transferred to the 2nd RI (Numbering about 400 as a result. These served at Monmouth under Lee) Greene and his staff were sent back to RI to raise a black regt. to fill the ranks of the depleted 1st. The General Assembly voted that every able bodied Negro, Mulatto, and Indian slave could enlist for the duration of the war. Bounties and wages would be the same as those of free men. Once enlisted and approved of by the officers of the regt., the recruits would be free. At this time, there was a Black and Indian population of 3,331 in RI. The scheme, which did compensate the owners, produced less than 200 men. Seeing how expensive the plan was becoming, the Assembly cut off recruitment of slaves on June 10, 1778. This incarnation of the 1st RI first saw action in the battle of RI in August 1778 (another story for another day). The Continental troops that fought in the battle (1st + 2nd RI, Sherburne's, Webb, Jackson's, and Livingston's) remained in RI for the winter of 1778-79. On October 25, 1779, the British evacuated Newport. All the Continental units in RI were ordered to march. However, at the last minute, the 1st RI was told to stay in RI and guard the wharves and streets of Newport. The 1st RI remained at home into 1780. In July of that year, Rochambeau arrived in Newport with 4,000 French troops. An officer with Rochambeau, von Clausen, provides us with a description of one of the Black soldiers wearing a cast off French waistcoat with long sleeves and red cuffs, as well as the waved helmet with the bluish plumes. In October of 1781, Congress restructured the army again. The 1st RI, the 2nd RI, and Sherburne's battalion were all merged into one unit called the 1st RI. Greene maintained command, with subordinates Jeremiah Olney and Ebenezer Flagg. Sherburne, Israel Angell, and Ward were all forced to retire. The merger took place at West Point. Although authorized for 650, actual strength was about 450. In May of 1781, the 1st RI was stationed along the Croton River, north of Manhattan. On the 14th, a raiding party of DeLancey's refugees surprised the Rhode Islanders at two points (this is another good story, and I have to read Greenman's diary to get the whole thing). To make the story shorter, Greene and Flagg were killed. Lt. Col. Jeremiah Olney assumed command. Coggeshall Olney and John Dexter were promoted to major and made his subordinates. Though the official designation was still the 1st RI, it became known as Olney's battalion. The 1st RI was one of the first to head south for Yorktown. It was brigaded with NJ troops under Col. Dayton, and placed in Lincoln's Division. Stephen Olney's light infantry was detached from the 1st RI and given to Lafayette's Division of Light Infantry. In February of 1782, Olney's Battalion numbered 31 officers and 413 men. The General Assembly voted to raise another 259 men, but only got 100. By the summer however, the Assembly approved the recruiting of 200 more men with a bounty of 100 Spanish dollars as an incentive (so things did improve a bit, and the troops were better clothed than ever before). The numbers in the RI ranks dwindled again by December 1782 (down to about 300 men). Congress decided to consolidate all units under 500 men. The RI General Assembly, pointing to the forseeable end of the war and a lack of money, refused to authorize any more recruiting. Therefore, in November of 1783, the 1st RI ceased to exist. Olney and his officers retired, except for 8 lieutenants who stayed on for another month to clear up the details. Well, there it is. Condensed, simplified, and in some instances plagarized. Thanks to anyone who's read this far. Sincerely, Joe G., Ensign 1st RI DQYZ93A@prodigy.com

Question: I am interested in American Rev War Reenacting. I live is Southern California and there are very few Groups in this area. So information is difficult to obtain. Do you know of a group anywhere that has a handbook of information for its members that I might purchase to help me get started??

Answer: Radford Polinsky
33d Regiment of Foot
426 West Spazier Ave. Burbank CA 91506-3216
R.Polinsky1@genie.com

David Weidner
6237 Sylvia
Reseda, CA 91335
Delaware Regt., BAR

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last updated 04/23/02